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Best Offbeat Holiday Destinations In America

November 23, 2013 3:00 PM

The winter holidays can be challenging when enduring crowded shopping malls, vying for that last parking spot, battling increased traffic and dealing with sensory overload from bright lights and decorations. A great way to avoid the hustle and bustle associated with the last weeks of the year is to take a road less traveled to a destination that’s calmer and more secluded. While some obvious choices were left out, weather and holiday availability played an important factor. The following are five of the best offbeat holiday destinations in America.

Relaxing in an elegant cabin next to the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi can be a perfect setting for an offbeat holiday getaway. Located 70 miles north of Atlanta, Blue Sky Cabin Rentals is a consortium of rental cabins, primarily in Ellijay and Blue Ridge communities of Northern Georgia. Interested parties can choose from more than 100 beautifully furnished bedroom cabins featuring one or multiple bedrooms with a minimum five-day stay. Among the modern amenities offered with some rentals are wireless Internet, flat-screen TVs, hot tubs and outdoor fireplaces.

Arizona is a great choice for a holiday getaway. For starters, there is the incomparable Grand Canyon and reasonably priced airfare. There’s also the average winter temperature in the mid-60s, with little or no rain. Just nine miles north of Sedona, home to red sandstone rock formations and purported mystic power vortexes, Forest Houses Resort features 14 remarkably affordable single- or multi-room homes and one apartment. Most accommodations have king or queen beds, full kitchens, bathrooms and a fireplace. However there’s no TV, computer/Internet hookups or cell phone service, allowing for an environment mostly free of electronic gadgets.

It really doesn’t get much more offbeat than spending a few nights under the sea and that’s what guests get to do at the world’s only underwater hotel. Located 65 miles south of Miami at the Jules Verne Undersea Park in Key Largo, guests must be at least 10 years old and are required to scuba dive 21 feet below the sea surface to reach the entrance. Because the lodge only has two bedrooms and one bathroom, reservations should be booked well in advance. Due to price and demand, other Key Largo accommodations are also worth considering during the holidays, such as the Pelican Motel and Gilbert’s Resort.

Even hardcore fans of the New Wave rock band The B-52s may be surprised to discover a familiar band member is the owner of this quirky motel in the Catskills Mountains. About a few hours’ drive north of New York City, Kate’s Lazy Meadow is owned by Kate Pierson, the striking redhead who shared lead vocals on all of the band’s most familiar hits, such as “Rock Lobster” and “Love Shack.” Now 65, Pierson and her partner Monica Coleman offer moderately priced cabins, suites, a lodge and a “Lazy Shack” stylized in a vintage 50s décor and splendor. The couple recently opened Kate’s Lazy Desert, about a two-hour drive east of Los Angeles and not far from Joshua Tree National Park.

When it comes to crowds, there is really no comparison between major metropolitan cities and Big Sur. Yet this small coastal community, about a 45-minute drive from Monterey, does have it share of visitors, particularly during the summer and major holidays. Yet by traveling south another hour down Highway 1 to TreeBones Resort, chances are that the usual gaggle of holiday visitors will be sparsely seen. Nevertheless, this unique setting isn’t exactly reminiscent of one’s idea of a resort. Instead there are five campsites and 16 yurts, a circular structure resembling a tent. People interested in booking reservations during the holidays should act fast and must be aware of wet conditions for camping.